Hi there!

Well it’s been another mad week in the AI world. So much development and progress in such a short space of time.

The CEO of Anthropic (which makes Claude) put the fear of god in me this week, especially as a parent of teenage children. He predicted that AI will take 50% of white collar entry jobs in the next 5 years.

The AI Leadership Challenge

This pace of change, and the equal worry about what will happen, is truly something else. But when it comes to leadership there is something AI can't do. And it's probably the most important part of your job as a leader.

I’ve had many WOW moments working with AI. It can do amazing things. But there's one thing it absolutely cannot do: the deeply human work that great managers do every day.

I'm talking about:

• Listening deeply and coaching team members through challenges
• Running meetings that actually move things forward
• Building trust and connection in times of uncertainty

This is where I think the real opportunity lies. We're entering a new era of leadership, and it's not about becoming more robotic - it's about doubling down on what makes us brilliantly human.

One of the things I've learned about thriving in this AI-powered world is you need to know your “Human-Zone”

What is your Human-zone?

When you are looking to work with AI, I think it helps to think about it like a bullseye:

• The Outer ring: Use it for time-saving admin tasks, meeting bookings, email handling, meeting prep.
• The Middle ring: Leverage it for research, planning and and helping you come up with new ideas and perspectives. This is more complex work. You can also develop automations and agents to replace and augment human work.
• Then there is the center: This is your Human Zone. Keep this for the work that requires your human touch - coaching, connecting, creativity and leading others through complexity. You need to know for yourself what is your own human zone as its tempting to move more and more work into AI, it kind of sucks you in. But then somewhere along the line you lose the you-zone. I think this is true for individuals, teams and organisations.

The challenge isn't just about AI - it's about getting out of the Reactive Zone. Most managers I work with are swamped with work, permanently fighting fires and prepping slides for meetings, leaving no time for real leadership. Sound familiar?

The solution? It's about creating systems that give you space to be human. Simple, repeatable ways of working that keep you focused on what only you can do. And the good news is AI can really help with this.

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In this week’s video, Why AI Won't Make You Redundant (If You Do This) I explore this challenge in more detail, sharing practical strategies for balancing AI efficiency with human leadership. It's exactly what you need if you're ready to step up your leadership game in this changing landscape.

👉 Watch the full video here and learn how to thrive as a leader in the AI era.

I'd love to hear your thoughts: What's your biggest challenge in balancing getting the work done with human leadership? Hit reply and let me know.

Best, Helen

P.S. Don't forget to grab my free AI Powered Leadership guide - it's mentioned in the video!

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